Getting to Know Black Hayate
by fmpipsqueak
Summary: Sister story to "Getting to Know Riza Hawkeye", but told from the perspective of Black Hayate. Some light hearted silly stuff to go along with the main story. Still writing, updating and re-drafting. All reviews and constructive criticism welcomed.
1. Morning, Walks and Boy Man

Afternoon is the worst time of the whole day. It's not fun being stuck indoors. But this happens most days until evening time when Mommy comes home.

Allow me to introduce myself. I am Black Hayate. I am a dog and I live with my Mommy in her apartment. Mommy is a human. I have a Daddy as well, but I don't see him very often lately. I think he is probably busy. He always talked about being busy, and Mommy found this funny. Daddy is a human too.

I don't know quite how old I am because I can't remember being born. But I don't think I am very old because I am still a puppy and quite a small dog. Puppies are like people who are quite new. But once I become more old, I will be a bigger dog and not a puppy any longer.

I had to get up very early today. Mommy gets up very early almost every day, so I have to as well. I've lived with Mommy forever. She gives me breakfast every morning before she has her own breakfast which is very kind. Dogs love breakfasts. I think we love breakfasts even more than people. That is why Black Hayate has breakfast before Mommy. But I have to follow my breakfast routine. My breakfast routine is a set of orders I have to follow before breakfast. Once I do them, I'm allowed to eat. But only at breakfast time. I've tried doing them at other times of the day, but I'm not allowed more than one breakfast each day.

I don't mind doing these orders because I know my breakfast routine really well. I've been doing it forever so I can remember it perfectly. "Sit, left paw, right paw and lie down." That's my routine. I know that's what Mommy is going to say before she say it. I always do it right every single time. I can't remember ever not doing it perfectly because I know it so well. Sometimes I practice on my own when Mommy is away just to make sure I remember for definite.

That is how breakfast is for Black Hayate. Probably for all dogs. But not for humans. It isn't very fair I think, because Mommy doesn't have a routine to follow, and she gets to have breakfast anyway.

Today she says the commands and I do them like I always do, and I get my breakfast. But then Mommy has to go to "walk" like most days. Humans are always talking about 'walk'.

"I need to go to bed early. I have 'walk' tomorrow." That's one I've heard Mommy say. "Can't be late for walk." It is just something that humans have to do. I wish I could come with Mommy to walk. Dogs love walks nearly as much as breakfasts.

When humans go for human walks on their own in the morning, they don't come back for hours. It must be because their legs are much longer than dog legs. Mommy always wears her blue uniform when she goes for human walk in the morning.

It is very strange though, because Mommy says it's 'walk' that pays for where we live, and gets us food and makes it warm at home. I don't understand that at all. Are there rewards for human walks? Why not for dog walks? More unfair treatment of dogs. I wish I could come with Mommy on her human walk in the morning. I have tried many times. But I'm not allowed. I have to wait at home until evening. Morning is for human walk. Evening is for dog walk. It's not what I want but it's the rules.

Perhaps humans have a routine after all. One that goes after breakfast. But instead of getting breakfast, it gets lots of things likes breakfasts and dinners for a whole month for Mommy and Black Hayate. Maybe that's why their walks are much longer than a dog's walk or breakfast routine. Because they need more things than just one dog breakfast. That makes perfect sense and it must be very true.

Mommy gets home in the evening time, just when it is starting to get a little bit dark. I can see through the windows that it is. The windows aren't very big where we live. Smaller than where we lived in old city. The whole place is smaller than where we used to live. I miss old city sometimes. But I can still see outside getting dark.

When Mommy gets home she seems quite tired. I think it's from lots of walking she does. I always go to see her as soon as she comes through the door, and she's always very glad that I do. I know because she smiles at me.

"If you didn't walk all morning, she wouldn't be so tired in the evening." I think to myself. I like walking a lot, but even I wouldn't want walk that much. Not that I would be tired. I've never been tired after a walk. Not once. It is very important for dogs to get good exercise or we have too much energy. When I have too much energy and I can't get rid of it, I get annoyed. It makes my legs sort of sore and I want to chew things. I want to chew things anyway, but even more than usual. Chewing chewy things is almost as fun as walks. Mommy doesn't like it when I chew things like towels or sheets or socks though. When I do that it makes holes in them and then Mommy has to get new ones.

When she is away in the daytime, it means I have to be stuck indoors all day, and I can't walk very far indoors and my legs ache because of too much energy. So it's very annoying when I'm stuck inside. Every day I have to wait for Mommy to come home and walk me outside where there is more space for me. Mommy says I need walked a lot because I have a lot of energy, and I have a lot of energy because I am a puppy. A puppy is a person who is quite new. But I think I will still have lots of energy when I am a grown up dog, and probably even when I am a hundred years old. I will always eat my big breakfast of course because I will never forget my breakfast routine. So I will always have my energy. It makes perfect sense.

I am a little bit annoyed because today's walk is shorter than usual. I am still not tired at all when we are done walking. Like I said, I am never tired after my walk. But even less today and I still have lots of energy left from breakfast. But Mommy seems to be in a hurry to get home. I don't know why. There's not much to do indoors. It's only good to be indoors when it's very cold outdoors. I don't like when it's too cold outside, and humans don't like it even more because they don't have any fur. It's always warm at home though because Mommy always has "the heating on". I don't know what that is, but I know it "costs a fortune". I don't know what a 'fortune' is either.

Usually when we come home, we both stay indoors and no more walks. But not long after we come home, Mommy puts on a shiny stone around her neck and pink water that smells like the flowers in the park. I love the park. I can run around and there's lots of fun hiding places for Black Hayate. There's mud for digging in too. I think I like digging even more than walking. Maybe even more than breakfasts. But digging is only for special treat. Mommy doesn't like it when I dig because I get covered in mud and then I need to go in the shower. But I like the shower, so I don't mind.

Today when we've already come home from walk, she leaves me indoors again and goes out again without me. She says that she is going to dinner. But that can't be right. Dinner is not out there. Dinner is here, in the cupboard. She will realise she is wrong and come back when she is hungry. But sadly, in the meantime this means no dinner for Black Hayate. I don't like having no dinner because of Mommy's silly mistake. But I will be able to say "I told you so" when Mommy comes back.

I hear her talking to someone else as well. I don't think they're a puppy because they speak human.

"Hello, Edward." She says. I heard her say that. I don't know what 'Edward' is. "Very punctual." I'm not 100% sure what 'punctual' is. But I think it means not being late. Humans take being late very seriously. Even for things like walks. You aren't allowed to be late for walk if you are a human.

Later Mommy comes back. A lot later than I expected. It took her a lot longer to remember that dinner was in the cupboard and not outside than I thought it would. I was surprised. I didn't think Mommy would forget. After all, Mommy has been giving me dinner forever and as long as I have been doing my breakfast routine. And I never forget my breakfast routine. Not once.

I am very glad to see her again. But there is someone else with her. They are short, like a human puppy. But they still walk and act like a grown up human. I am curious to see who they are. It's not often new people come to visit, especially since we moved to new city.

"Down, Black Hayate!" Mommy says to me.

"I was just trying to see who the new person was." I think to myself. They are not tall for a grown up human. Not at all. They have a red coat, golden hair and a shiny hand. I am not sure who they are at first, but they have brought me a coat to chew. That was very kind of them, and they don't seem to mind me chewing it. I think I have perhaps met them once or twice before. Mommy is sure that I have.

I do not know what to call him. But I know a human puppy is sometimes called a "boy", and a grown up is sometimes called a "man". So he shall be "Boy man" for now.

Boy man sits in my place on the couch. I am not very annoyed, but it would be polite to ask first. Since he brought me a nice coat to chew, I would have said ok if he had asked. But he didn't. But I'm not very annoyed, like I said.

Mommy is very interested in the boy man's arm. It is not a human arm or a dog arm. That is probably why it is interesting. It is also shiny, which makes it interesting also. Sometimes when I dig, I find shiny things. I love finding shiny things. It's like a reward for my digging. I found a bone once. That was the best reward of all. Mommy didn't let me keep it though. Mommy doesn't let me keep the rewards I dig up which makes me annoyed. It's very lucky for me that I like digging anyway, even if I don't find rewards.

Then Mommy mentions "The Colonel". I know that word. Daddy is one of those. He's a "Colonel". I haven't seen him in a long time. Before we moved to new city, he used to visit quite a lot in old city. Maybe he doesn't know where we live in new city. Or maybe he is still stuck indoors in old city and doesn't get to go for walks. I hope he comes to visit again soon. I miss him a lot. Maybe this is why Mommy is talking about him. Perhaps he is coming to visit, or she will talk to him on the noise machine and tell him where we live in new city.

Mommy and Boy man fall asleep on the couch. I don't mind. That means I get the whole human bed to myself. Although they fell asleep before I got my dinner. So that is annoying. I am very hungry now. But I will just have to have a bigger breakfast tomorrow.


	2. Pancakes

I'm allowed to sleep for a lot longer today, and with the whole human bed all for me. Usually I would be very pleased about this. But my tummy is rumbling and feeling very empty because Mommy fell asleep on the couch with the Boy Man with the shiny arm before I got my dinner. So I need breakfast extra much now.

Mommy gets up much later than usual today, and Boy man is still there when I wake up. Even on the day when she does not have to go to human walk in the morning, she is usually up earlier than this. I have to intervene because I want my breakfast. Mommy needs to do my breakfast routine so I can eat. It would be easier if the food wasn't in the cupboard and was just left on the floor instead. Then I could eat as many breakfasts as I want. But I have thought about that, and since energy comes from breakfast, maybe if I ate too many breakfasts I would have too much energy and my legs would feel sort of sore all the time. Think how long a walk I would need to get rid of all that energy.

To show there are no hard feelings about sitting in my spot on the couch, I lick Boy man's face. This is how dogs show that they are happy that someone is still there. Humans do this sometimes as well, but are not as expert as dogs. He does not seem very grateful, which is disappointing. "I'm just trying to tell you that I forgive you for taking my spot on the couch. You should be thankful." That's what I think to myself.

Mommy says she will make breakfast for the her and the Boy man. I hope she has not forgotten that Black Hayate needs breakfast also, especially since I did not get any dinner yesterday, which is very bad. I walk over to my bowl. How much more obvious do I have to make it that I am hungry? If this goes on I will have to do my puppy whining. I do not like having to resort to such measures. But sometimes it is the only way.

Instead Mommy decides that the Boy Man will make "pancakes". It sounds like a challenge for him. Perhaps that is his breakfast routine. I have never known a human to have a breakfast routine before. I hope he has done this before. I am smart enough to know what all my commands mean. I would know them even if I'd never done them before, and I've done them forever. So I never forget. But Boy Man may not be as smart as Black Hayate. I would feel very bad for Boy Man if he couldn't do his breakfast routine and he didn't get any breakfast. I understand what it's like to feel hungry. Believe me. I know right now. If that happened I would offer to share my breakfast with him. But dog breakfast is for dogs only. I have never known human to eat dog breakfast. So even though Hayate is generous dog, it would have to be all for Hayate in the end.

"Pancakes". I ask myself. I do not know what those are. I am not sure that they are for dogs. But sometimes human food can be for dogs. Not every time. But sometimes if it is the right human food and humans are being generous. Whimpering helps get human food. I don't really like whimpering. It makes me feel stupid. But humans cannot seem to resist my sad noises. I feel a little bad sometimes because I can pretend to be more sad than I actually feel. In short, after much observation, human food is sometimes ok for dogs. But dog food is never ok for humans.

Boy man goes to the shower to clean himself. Sometimes I have to go to shower as well if I get covered in mud when I go to the park. I like the shower. It is like the rain outside, except it's lovely and warm. Mommy doesn't like having to shower me though. She says I "clog the drain". I don't know what any of that means. But I always have to go in the shower when I get muddy. Once I was very muddy, and Mommy had to carry me in so that I didn't get mud on the rest of our home. Humans don't like mud. But I think mud is fun to dig in. I liked being carried. I was up high like a human. Humans shower even when they have no mud at all. Perhaps there is human mud that dogs can't see.

After Boy man has come back from the shower, Mommy is annoyed that he has left towels on the floor in the shower room. I pulled towels off the towel rack in the shower room once. It was the same thing. Mommy was annoyed. I still occasionally do sometimes, but I make sure not to get caught and just pretend they fell down. Black Hayate is very clever like that. Chewing towels is fun. Nearly as fun as coats.

Mommy and Boy man make their pancakes and eat their pancakes. They don't smell like I would definitely like them, and Hayate's nose is very good. Very rarely wrong and usually right. Although I didn't think toast did smell like I would like to eat it, but if it has butter on it I like to eat the butter. I would be willing to try a pancake. But again, not one given to Hayate. Mommy and Boy Man are being greedy today. I'm giving it five more minutes and then I'm going to start whining.

But now Boy Man has to go back to his home or maybe for a walk of his own. I get my breakfast after that. I am annoyed that it took longer than usual, but I forgive Mommy and Boy Man for taking so long because I am a very understanding dog. Humans forget more than dogs. That's probably why they don't have breakfast routine. They would forget and they wouldn't get any breakfast.


	3. Overtime and the Noise Machine

I was of course very bored when Mommy was away all day today. Usually after five days of all day walking, she would have two days to rest. But only one rest day this time, and today back to walk. I had to wake up early this morning. I liked getting to sleep for longer yesterday. But Mommy had to do human morning walking in blue day walking human walking uniform. She called it "overtime". Mommy has used that word before. She has said many times that 'walk' is what pays for all the nice things we have in our home. It doesn't seem very fair dogs only get short walk and don't get anything in return, but humans get lovely, long walks whenever they want and get rewards.

I waited all day. I wanted to chew the cushions very badly with all the energy I had after breakfast. I think I did my breakfast routine maybe best of any day ever today. But I was a very good boy and left the cushions alone. I chewed the cushions once before and Mommy was quite upset with me. She had to throw them away and buy new cushions. These ones look even more chewable though.

When she came back today she brought the Boy man again. I wonder if he is going to be coming a lot now, like how Daddy used to visit in old city. It does get lonely here sometimes. I can tell Mommy is lonely even with Hayate here all the time.

Boy Man took me for a walk today. He didn't seem tired at all. Perhaps he had a very big breakfast, or perhaps he has a lot of energy because he is still somewhere between a human puppy and a grownup human. I was able to walk at my fastest and for longer than usual today, because the Boy Man wasn't tired and could keep up very well.

When we got home, the noise machine made its noise. The noise machine is a thing that lives in our house near the cupboard. It doesn't make noise very often. But when it does, it means someone can bark at you from far away. I think that's what it does. It's like a conversation. But I can only hear one side. So that's what it must do. Sometimes it makes the noise very suddenly and it startles me. But I wasn't startled this time. I only jumped because I wasn't expecting it. But I was very not afraid.

When Mommy answered the noise machine and lifted it up to her head, it must have been Daddy barking from far away because she said "Colonel". Maybe he is back in old city and wondering how to get to new city. It took quite a long time to get to new city. I think I could probably find my way back. But just in case I get lost I think I will just stay here with Mommy. I hope we can move back to old city some day though.

Then Boy man licked Mommy's face. I told you humans did that too. It shows how happy he is to be here with me and also with Mommy. That is good. I am glad he appreciated us, and he is good at walking dogs.

But then they go to bed without giving me dinner again. Do they forget that I am a growing dog? If I do not get my dinner, I will maybe be the size of a puppy even when I am a hundred years old. They do not sleep on the couch this time. But it is not as simple as Hayate getting his spot back. I wish it was because my spot is my territory, and it is not his to take without asking.

The Boy man has actually taken my spot on my pillow now. I mind more about my pillow than I do about the couch because that is where I sleep, and now I can't sleep there tonight. But I do not mind all that very much, because Boy man walked me for a long walk. He still should have asked though and I probably would have said yes. I sleep at the other end of the bed. Not as comfortable, but still ok.


	4. Nightmare

When morning comes, Boy man does not want to get out of bed. He wants to stay in bed and cuddle with my Mommy. Sometimes I feel like that as well, but I can't have breakfast when I'm still in bed. That would be the best choice but not allowed. Not for me or for Boy man.

I get my breakfast in the kitchen after my breakfast routine. Boy man doesn't have a breakfast routine either. I think it is unfair treatment of dogs when humans can have breakfast for nothing but dogs have to do routine first. It is Boy man who I do my routine for this morning. He knows what to say because Mommy told him. But even if he didn't know what to say, I would still remember. I have been doing my breakfast routine since forever. Today Mommy and Boy Man are in big hurry because they are running late for walk. Like I said many times, humans take being on time very seriously, and you can't be late for walk in the morning.

I wait all day for Mommy to come home. I wonder if Boy Man will come back later as well. He is nice visitor, even though he takes my spot on the couch and on my pillow without asking. He does let me chew his coat and took me for long walk, so I can forgive his taking my spot. Hayate is very forgiving dog. There is no one that I have not forgiven, even though humans are not always fair to dogs.

When Mommy comes back, I get dinner straight away. I don't mind that at all. I like dinner very much. All dogs love dinners, maybe as much as breakfasts. But then extremely very unfair. No walk for Hayate, even after being bored all day. I was so good all day and didn't chew anything, even though I wanted to chew my pillow to remind Boy Man that it wasn't his. But now I've eaten all my dinner, and I have even more energy than before, and I'm lonely here on my own and I can't sleep because my legs are sore with too much energy. I whimper a little bit just to myself, even though no one else can hear I'm sure.

Humans get to walk whenever they want and Mommy goes out for a walk straight after dinner again. Why couldn't I go too? Dogs need their walks like anyone else. Then she was out all night and only came back very, very early in the morning.

Boy man is very badly hurt when they came back. He must have been hit by a car or bitten by a very big dog. Those are the two things Mommy says she is worried about when we walk near the road or maybe in the park where the other big dogs sometimes are. I'm not allowed off the leash except when I'm safe in the alley. I know I would be safe off the leash even near the road. I would not try to cross the road on my own. Mommy just thinks I would because I tried once when I was even smaller puppy. I was just more silly then. But if I hadn't been wearing my leash that day, I might have been hit by a car.

There was another man at home today as well. He had a voice like a small puppy, but his body was shiny and big and made of same as Boy Man arm. I will call him "Arm man" because he is made of arm like the Boy Man's. He was very worried that Boy man was hurt. Boy man had to stay in bed for whole days. Black Hayate had never heard of that before. I would be so bored if I had to stay in bed for even one day. He was also in my spot the whole time. I was still not very annoyed, because he needed it because he was very badly hurt from crossing the road by himself. But I was a little annoyed because that spot is for Black Hayate.

Arm man takes me for a walk. I was worried at first. I thought he might be scary. He isn't a human maybe, and definitely not a dog. He looks like no person I have ever found before. But he was nice to me, and he took me for a long walk and kept up with me even when I walked my fastest. So I like Arm man now.

When I got back, Boy man is having dinner. I had already had my dinner, but the human dinner smells very good. It is also only fair that he share when he take my place on my pillow all those days. I have to do my whining. Desperate times call for desperate measures. But Boy man doesn't seem to notice. I have never known human to ignore dog whimpers. Maybe he can tell that Hayate is not completely as sad as he sounds. I hope humans haven't figured out that dogs can do that. That is the ultimate secret of dogs.

Mommy says there is enough to share and that was one of the truest things ever. I feel quite proud as Mommy gives me some human food from the Boy Man's plate.

The Boy Man waits until my Mommy has left the room and says "You've had your dinner. This is mine."

"That is true. But that is also my spot you're in, and you've been taking for days. I was very nice and shared that. So share your food please." That's what I say. But sadly I don't speak human, so he doesn't hear.

Boy man throws a piece of human food out into the hall. I had to go after it, because you can't waste human food and if you leave it only the floor it will get thrown away. He didn't want it because he threw it on the floor. But then the door closes behind me somehow. I suspect the Boy Man maybe wanted to close it so I couldn't get back in. But I did not see the Boy Man touch the door.

I eat piece of food on the hall floor. It is very delicious. I told you that sometimes human food can be for dogs. This is definitely one of those times. This human food can definitely be for dogs, and Hayate is the only dog around, so it must be for Hayate. I tasted it and I know it is true. But the rest of my dinner is still in there with the Boy Man, and he is going to eat all of it when only some of it is his. He has not eaten in quite a few days because he has been sleeping the whole time. Black Hayate would be very hungry if that happened to him, so the Boy Man is probably very hungry too. No time to waste or he will eat all of my food. Unfair treatment of dogs.

I scratch at the door. That's bound to get Mommy's attention. Mommy doesn't like it when I scratch at the door. She dislikes it nearly as much as chewing towels. I do some whining too. Boy Man might not care about puppy whimpers, but Mommy never ignores them. She still does know that I am not always as sad as I might sound from my whimpers.

Mommy opens the door and Boy man had to share because sharing is fair. The human food is delicious and I enjoy my human dinner.

Later is worst of all though. Probably worst day in Hayate's life. It happened that same night.

I was just sleeping. I got my spot back. Boy Man had to share that too. It was only fair. He had taken my pillow spot for many days.

I was in my spot, next to Mommy, with the Boy Man on the other side. I was fast asleep and being a very good dog. Then for no reason, he threw me on the floor and told me to be quiet.

"I said be quiet, you stupid dog!" He yelled as he threw me on the floor.

He startled me by yelling. I was very quiet because I was asleep, so I didn't understand. But I landed on my paw. The weight of my whole self was on it, and he threw me very hard. So my paw hurt a lot after I fell on the floor. I really whimpered after that. Not even for pretend but for actual. Mommy was very angry with Boy Man. "Ed?! What the hell are you doing?!" That's what she said. I agreed. I didn't know what Boy Man was doing either. He had no reason to hurt my paw. Very, very unfair treatment of dogs.

Mommy takes care of me on the couch and bandaged my paw. We sleep there instead of in the bed with the Boy Man. I think Mommy was afraid he might hurt one of my other paws.

When morning comes Boy Man comes out of the bedroom to see us. I am a little afraid at first since I don't even know why he threw me and hurt my paw last time.

Then he said he was very sorry and he had a bad nightmare. Mommy was still not very happy but did forgive him. I sometimes have nightmares and they are very, very bad so I also forgive him even though he made my paw very sore and I cannot walk very well today. He promises to be nicer to Hayate than that day and never throw him again.


	5. Pillow

"I am sorry." The Boy Man says to me as I lie on the pillow beside him. It isn't my pillow. The Boy Man is still using my pillow. He is still hurt, so he still needs it. Although my paw is very sore because of him throwing me, and even though I forgive him, it is not very nice to deprive me of my pillow at this time. Unfair treatment of dogs. Luckily it is daytime, so Mommy's pillow is available for me to sleep on because she doesn't need it.

Mommy hears Boy Man apologise and seems pleased. I thought when he apologised earlier, it might have been just to make Mommy happy. But now he said it quietly again when he didn't know Mommy was there. So he must be sorry for actual. Mommy says she has to take care of me and the Boy Man because we aren't well enough to be left on our own right now. So she isn't going to 'walk' this morning. I hope that doesn't mean she will have too much energy like when I don't get walk. It makes my legs ache and I want to chew things. But even though she does not have to go to 'walk', she is still up quite early.

I fall asleep for a few minutes while Mommy and Boy Man are talking. I wake up when Boy Man tries to get out of bed because the mattress bounces beneath me. Mommy doesn't think it's a good idea because he is still hurt. I agree, it is probably not a good idea and it is waking me up when I am trying to sleep. But if he does go, it means my pillow will be mine again, and I have a plan to keep it that way. When Boy Man eventually convinces Mommy to let him go, I grab my pillow with my teeth and drop it onto the floor. I have to get off the bed very carefully because my paw is so sore. But then I drag the pillow behind the curtain. The Boy Man won't find it there, which means it will be Black Hayate's pillow forever. The Boy Man doesn't need my pillow any more. He can't be too hurt if he has gone for human walk on his own. But Black Hayate's paw is still very sore because of being thrown on the floor by Boy Man. Even though I definitely do forgive him, I need my pillow and it is mine. He will have to get his own.

"Black Hayate?" Mommy asks, seeing me behind the curtain. "You shouldn't be putting weight on your paw. It's not going to heal if you keep doing that." She sweeps the curtain aside so she can see me. "No! Bad dog." She scolds, pointing at me. "I've told you before. If you chew the pillows you'll make holes in them. I can't afford to keep replacing them all the time."

"I wasn't chewing them." I say. But she doesn't hear. She doesn't understand dog. "It's true. I made sure to be very careful when dragging it with my teeth. See: no holes. I was only hiding it to keep it safe for Hayate. Not bad dog. Clever dog." But Mommy doesn't hear, like I say, and she puts the pillow back on the bed. She puts me back on the bed afterwards too. All that work for nothing. Boy Man will probably take Hayate's pillow again when he gets back. Unfair treatment of dogs.

I fall asleep again. It is important for me to get a lot of rest with my sore paw, Mommy says. I think it is good advice, and I don't notice my paw hurting when I am asleep. I hope it stops being sore soon. I am afraid I won't be able to walk as well as I did before. I must look silly when I walk right now, because I can't put weight on my front left paw, so I sort of wobble when I walk. One good thing is that I don't have to do my breakfast routine because my paw is sore. So I get breakfast without my breakfast routine like a human. I still practice a few times to myself of course, just in case I forget. But I will never forget. I've done it for as long as I can remember, and I've never forgotten once.

But suddenly I wake up because there is a loud noise coming from the noise machine ringing. Someone far away must want to bark at me or Mommy. That's why they are ringing the noise machine. I'm not afraid. I was just a little startled because I was asleep before. Hayate is definitely not afraid of the noise machine.

I hear Mommy talk on the noise machine. "Colonel." She says. I am very happy at first, and that word catches my attention. My daddy is a 'Colonel', so it means maybe it is him. I can't hear what they are saying on the other end, so I don't know if it is. I hope he comes and visits. I miss him very much, and I remember him saying how much he loved dogs because they are loyal. This is very true. I am a very loyal dog. But for some reason, Mommy sounds sad. I hope she is ok, and Daddy is ok. I still think he might be lost, because he has never come to visit once since we moved to new city. When she hangs up the noise machine, she just turns off all the lights and lies on the couch. Everything is definitely not ok. It is supposed to be my dinner time now. But I don't think I should bother her. Something feels very wrong.

A little while later, the Boy Man comes back. He turns on one of the lights. He realises there is something wrong as well. I don't know what has happened, but I hear the Boy Man saying it is all his fault. I hope that's not true. I still like Boy Man, even though he took my pillow and hurt my paw. Besides, he only hurt my paw by accident. So hope he has not made my Mommy sad. Mommy says it is not the Boy Man's fault. I am glad this is true. I know that inside the Boy Man is good.

I can't seem to fall asleep now. Maybe I have slept enough today, or maybe my paw is too sore. My paw is definitely very sore. Later I hear the Boy Man speaking very quietly to Mommy. Mommy still sounds very upset. She must have heard something very sad on the noise machine.

"There is no one better and braver than you." The Boy Man says to Mommy. That's a very good thing to say. Mommy sometimes tells me I'm very brave and it makes me feel happy and proud. I hope Boy Man has made Mommy feel happy and proud. Suddenly I here them coming towards the bedroom. I move to the bottom of the bed. I suppose Boy Man can have my pillow again. I think he has earned it today.


	6. Dog Dinner

Mommy is up early again today. It looks like she is going to 'walk' today after all. I guess that means the Boy Man and I must be quite a lot better, even though my paw is still very sore. Thankfully, I still don't have to do my breakfast routine again this morning, and Mommy lets me have breakfast right away. That is one good thing about having a very sore paw. I think perhaps even after it is better, I might pretend it is still a little bit sore, just for a few days. Just to see if I still get breakfast for free.

The Boy Man seems surprised that Mommy is going for human walk on her own this morning. I was a little surprised too, but human walk in the morning is very important. Mommy always says about how seriously she takes her 'walk'. Then I hear Mommy and Boy Man talk about "Roy". That is Daddy's name. Daddy is called Roy. I remember now that they say it.

"Is Daddy in new city now? He took a very long time to get here. Make sure he visits later. I haven't seen him in a very long time, and I miss him a lot." I say. But they don't hear me because they don't speak dog.

Then Mommy asks Boy Man to make dinner for her for when she gets home from human walk. I hope Boy Man remembers that Black Hayate needs dinner also. Mommy and Boy Man have been a bit forgetful about giving Hayate his meals lately. Funny how they never forget to feed themselves. Humans never forget to give themselves food, but need Black Hayate to remind them, and even then sometimes forget again. Unfair treatment of dogs.

A bit later on I start to feel my achy feeling from too much energy. I haven't been able to go for walks with my sore paw, and I've had to sleep a lot. So I've definitely got too much energy. I walk over to Boy Man. He is looking out of the kitchen window. I still can't walk very well. But I want to try. It's the only way to get rid of the too much energy that is making my legs feel sore. I chew at the leg of his pants to get his attention.

"Take me for a walk. I'm bored being stuck in here." I say. But he doesn't hear because he doesn't speak dog.

"Not now, Black Hayate." He says, pushing me backwards his foot. "If you don't let me think of something to cook, I'm not going to have time to walk you at all."

"You can walk me and think at the same time." I say. "I will lead. You just have to follow. It's simple." I reply. But again he doesn't hear.

"Unless you want me to cook you." Boy Man laughs, lifting me up. "I think you'd make a good little pot roast."

I begin to whimper. I most certainly hope he is joking. I don't know what a 'pot roast' is. But I do not want to be cooked in any way. That would be very, very unfair treatment of dogs. Besides, it wouldn't be fair because I couldn't even run away with my sore paw. The Boy Man says he is "Only foolin'." So I think he is not going to cook me after all, and he agrees to take me for a walk. So I suppose I forgive him for threatening to eat Hayate. But still sort of unfair treatment of dogs.

We go for a walk to our usual spot in the alley. But he won't let me off the leash today. He says it is because of my sore paw.

"My paw isn't that sore." I say. It is actually very sore. But I hope the Boy Man won't notice and let me off the leash. Walk is not as fun when I am stuck on the leash the whole time. "Let me off the leash, or I will tell Mommy you were going to cook me for dinner." I say. That would be a good threat, except neither Mommy or the Boy Man speak dog. Humans are completely oblivious to dog language, and they aren't even trying to learn. I try very hard to learn human, and I am getting quite good at it. I can understand quite a few human words now. But humans don't make the same effort. Unfair treatment of dogs. I do my puppy whining. I've been using it quite a lot lately. I don't like doing it too much, because it makes me feel silly. Also, it's very risky using it too much. If humans find out dogs can whimper when they aren't actually sad, whimpers will never work again. But oddly they don't seem to work on Boy Man anyway. He is immune to dog whimpers, which I have never seen from a human before.

"You know the Lieutenant would kill me if anything happened to you." He says.

"Nothing is going to happen to me. I am a very smart dog, and that will keep my safe." I reply. But like always he doesn't hear. I don't know why he bothers talking to me when he won't listen to what I say.

"I'm on thin ice after I threw you off the bed." He explains.

"Yes. I know. That was very mean of you. But I forgive you, because I am very forgiving dog. To show your appreciation, take the leash off so I can run around properly." But again he doesn't pay attention.

But suddenly another man barks at Boy Man. I think I recognise him from a very long time ago, when I was a very new puppy. He definitely looks familiar. I think he knows my Daddy, and he seems to know Boy Man as well. 'Sergeant Fuery' is what Boy Man calls him. He looks like he has been digging in the park, because he has mud on his knees. He will have to go in the shower. I wonder if he 'clogs the drain' like Hayate apparently does. Although I don't really know what that means. He says he was on his way to get the Colonel.

"That's my Daddy!" I say to Sergeant Fuery. He does seem to recognise me, so I must be right. I did see him when I was smaller puppy, and he does know my daddy. "Yes, go and find him and tell him where I live in new city. He needs to visit because I miss him and it makes me sad. Unfair treatment of dogs." I say to him. But they are talking about something else now. Do humans ever listen to dogs? Not even once.

Boy Man and Sergeant who knows daddy start walking very quickly. It is difficult for me to keep with how fast they are walking. That's not usually how it is. Usually it is humans trying to keep up with Hayate. Don't they realise that their legs are much longer than mine, and I have a sore paw? If they walk so fast, how am I supposed to keep up? And if they can walk so fast now, why so slowly when taking Hayate for a walk? Unfair treatment of dogs.

We come to a bridge. I have never been to this side of new city. It is not familiar to me at all. I think if I got lost here, it would be difficult to find my way back. So I will be careful not to get lost. But now I smell something very bad. The worst I have ever smelled. It isn't bad smelling like normal stinky things. It smells… evil, and it makes me feel quite worried. I have never found anything like it before. I am not sure I want to see what is making the evil smell. But Boy Man and Sergeant who knows Daddy keep going closer. I have to go with them to keep them safe.

I hear voices coming from under the bridge as we get closer. Boy Man gives away our hiding place by jumping out and yelling at them. It is dark under the bridge so it's hard to see what they look like for me.

"Humans have an annoying habit of getting in the way." I hear a scary voice say from under the bridge. The voice sounds nearly as evil as it smells. I can see a bit better what they look like now. Hayate's eyesight is very good. They look like a human, but I don't think they are. They smell too evil to be human. They have long, green hair, and I can't tell if they are boy human or girl human. Even though they seem very scary, I do agree. Humans do get in the way sometimes, and it is very annoying. No one ever asks for dog opinions. "Leave us alone. Go home." They continue to say. I think this is a good idea. I think we should definitely go home and bad smelling green hair man girl is correct. There is also a very fat person as well. He looks very stupid, and he clearly hasn't been walked enough because he has become so fat. Sometimes Mommy says if I am greedy I will get fat, but I won't because of all the exercise I do. That's why I eat a big dinner every day, because I am so good when I go for a walk.

But Boy Man seems very angry with them. I don't know why. Perhaps it is because they smell so bad. The green haired one hits Boy Man. It makes me quite scared, because Boy Man was already hurt from before. I hope Boy Man is ok. He is my friend. Then the green haired one somehow changes what they look like. They are still human and definitely not dog, but their face looks different, and their hair is not green any more. They look like girl human now.

Suddenly there is a very loud noise. I jumped, but not because of the loud noise, but because I was getting ready to protect Boy Man. I was not afraid of the noise. It was Sergeant who knows daddy. He fired his gun. I've never seen one fire before. Mommy carries guns a lot. But I've never seen her fire one. I can see why. It is very loud and not a nice sound. It might scare a less brave dog. He fired it at the fat person, and at first I thought he had stopped them. But they stopped being hurt very fast. There is a lot I can't explain about these two new evil smelling people, and it makes me worried. They do not behave like normal humans.

The green haired one has gone back to their first face. The one they had before, and they have turned their arm into something like a green tail. They stretch it far enough to hit the Sergeant who knows daddy on the neck. It must be sharp, because it cut him very badly, and he's bleeding a lot. This is very bad. I know if you lose a lot of blood you can die forever. The Boy Man goes to help him. I can't let him get hurt. Besides, Sergeant needs to tell Daddy where we live in new city or else he won't be able to visit. I know what I have to do.

I run over as fast as I can to the fat one. I can't run as fast as usual because of my sore paw, and I sort of wobble. I probably don't look very scary, but he should be afraid because he has made Hayate angry now for hurting Boy Man and the Sergeant who knows daddy. I bite my absolute hardest on the leg of the fat one. Mommy said to never, ever bite anyone. But I can't obey that rule today. I need to scare them away so that they don't hurt Boy Man and Sergeant. But he doesn't seem scared or hurt by my bite. I knew something was very wrong about them. The fat one picks me up.

"Can I-" He begins to say.

"Yes." The green haired one interrupts before he can finish his question. I am very worried now. I don't know what is going to happen to me. The fat one turns me around so that I am looking at Boy Man. He is trying to carry Sergeant who knows Daddy. He needs to get him help or he might die. He is still bleeding after all, and that is very dangerous to bleed a lot. But suddenly the fat one starts to put me into his mouth. I do my dog whimpers as loud as I can. Not for pretend but for actual. I… I think that I might die. I am afraid that is what happens if you get eaten. I continue whimpering as loudly as I can. But the fat one doesn't stop or even seem to care that I am very afraid, and the green haired one is laughing so much that they fall over. Then it goes very dark as his mouth closes and I start to feel very unwell. Is this what is like for food when it gets eaten? But Hayate is alive. Food is not alive. I have never really wondered where food goes. But I think I am going to find out.

It's like a giant room. That's where I suddenly am. I am very glad he swallowed me whole and didn't chew me. I think that might have hurt a lot. It is times like this I am thankful that I am small puppy and a big dog. A big dog could not have been eaten in one bite and would have had to be chewed. I am very thankful that I am not dead. I was very afraid that I would die by being eaten. But I survived. I hope Boy Man is able to help Sergeant. He looked like he might die. I have never seen someone die, but the thought of death is very scary to Hayate. I try not to think about it because it makes me worried. But if Mommy is at walk, Boy Man is saving Sergeant, and Sergeant is not well enough, then who will save me? There is only one person who can come and rescue Hayate now. Daddy.


	7. Problem

This is a serious problem now for Black Hayate, and quite embarrassing. I need to go to the bathroom. Bad. As a growing puppy, I need to do this quite a lot. When I was a very new puppy, and didn't understand human much, I didn't know that bathroom is for outside only. I didn't understand why it made Mommy annoyed at me. I tried everything. Going behind the curtain, behind the couch, in the shower. But Mommy always found out and was annoyed, and she wasn't able to explain to me that I was doing it wrong, and had to wait until outside. It was difficult, because Mommy was busy, and I couldn't hold for very long when I was a very new puppy. So I had usually already gone by the time she got home. I have learned to go outside only now, and I have become a lot better at waiting for Mommy to come home to take me for a walk, instead of going to the bathroom inside.

That was the only time Mommy has really been angry at Hayate. It wasn't my fault, I didn't understand the rules because I couldn't understand human. But I knew she was angry about something. "What have I got myself into." She complained, throwing away a cushion I 'ruined'. There was nothing wrong with it. It just smelled like Hayate now, so no other dogs would steal it and think it was there's. It was very good of Hayate to protect the cushion. But Mommy wasn't pleased at all. Mommy actually wanted to give me away. She said she was too busy to clean up after me all the time. I didn't understand what she meant at the time. But a few people came to our home to see me and wanted to take me away with them. But Daddy convinced Mommy to keep me, and said that I would learn to be potty trained soon. He was right. I learned very soon after that, and I have been very good ever since. But the problem is, I didn't get a walk yesterday because of my sore paw, and now I need to go a lot. I am still a growing puppy, eating a lot. So it's important that I can go at least once per day. This is where the problem is. I am not allowed to go inside. But I don't know whether I am inside or not. It sort of feels like inside. There is no wind or weather, and I can't see the sun. That sounds like inside to me. But I can't see any walls or doors in any direction. It seems to go on and on forever. The biggest room I have ever found. I don't like it. If I can't find a door, how can I get out? I hope Daddy hurries up and rescues me. But I don't know how he is going to find me. Perhaps I will have to find him.

I begin walking. The floor is covered in blood, all the way up to my body. It's so deep, it's hard to walk with my sore paw, and it stains my fur red. It smells very bad. It smells like blood that has been here for a long time. Even if Daddy did manage to come to this place, it's so big that I would be able to find him. I sit down and whimper. This is hopeless. I wish I had just run away when I had the chance. I was a very brave dog, and I am proud of that. But it didn't do any good. I just got eaten, and for all I know those evil people killed Boy Man and Sergeant who knows Daddy as soon as I was gone. All that for nothing. Now I'm stuck here with nothing to eat, and no one to keep me company and a very sore paw, and I need to go the bathroom, but it feels like indoors.

After what feels like hours of barking my loudest, in the hope that Daddy might hear me and be able to find me, I stop because my throat is getting sore. Am I lost forever? There is no dog food or human food in here, and the blood on the floor smells too bad to eat. What will I do? I still don't even know if I'm allowed to poop in here.


End file.
